It's an Army for One

It's an Army for One
EDITOR:
Every year during this season the Salvation Army has a group of volunteers who ring the bells beside the red pot where folks entering or leaving a place of business drop in paper or coin donations. The efforts of those persons who donate their time and who stand out in the cold are commendable.
I have seldom knowingly passed up one of those bell ringers without contributing something to their cause. I am in full support of the wonderful things that the Salvation Army does for the benefit of the less fortunate among us. I will say, however that the original intent of that organization, which was established by William Booth (a former Methodist minister) over 140 years ago, was to reach the lost souls for Christ through the efforts of doing the charitable work of Christ on earth. That was the reason for calling his organization the Salvation Army. It was to save people from their unfortunate circumstances while on earth, and their lost souls from eternal hell. They always did what they did, in the name of Christ.
The other day, for the first time, I refused to add anything to the red pot of a man who was ringing the bell outside of Sam's Club in Howland. As I listened to his cheerful greeting of "Happy holidays," I wondered if he had made up his mind to offer that politically correct greeting or if he had been instructed to do so by the person who trained him, a Salvation Army worker.
I am by nature a generous man and I hesitated when I decided not to place a bill in that man's red pot. However, I am also a Christian by God's grace and His gift of faith. I take great exception to being wished a "happy holiday" by persons who are clerks in secular organizations, but I always smile and return the greeting "Merry Christmas."
I take even greater umbrage at being wished a happy holiday by a person who allegedly represents Christ. This is not just any holiday (President's Day, July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day or Thanksgiving). This is a time to remember the incarnation of the infinite personal God that occurred over 2,000 years ago.
That is the intended mission of the brave and committed soldiers who man the Salvation Army and those who support and work on their behalf should never forget it.
CHARLES H. McGOWEN, M.D.
Howland
Now we know; what do we do?
EDITOR:
Attorney Vincent Nathan has issued a bleak and portentous warning to Mahoning County politicos and elected officials. Our Mahoning County jail is facing a crisis of enormous magnitude and our leaders seem to be impervious to some very critical and basic issues.
Prison overcrowding affects not only our county jail but is a national travesty and deemed an emergency by most knowledgeable officials. For the safety and welfare of the inmates, correctional staff and the public, decisions and actions must be made now, not next year. Inmates are being denied their constitutional rights. They are being subjected to inhumane, illegal and intolerable jail conditions. Their safety and welfare are being jeopardized.
Our court-appointed expert has reported this to us and his three federal judges. Will it take a class action lawsuit to animate our office holders?
ANTHONY DeGIDIO
Youngstown